Historic Hong Kong neighborhood fights to preserve its past

Exploring historic Hong Kong – In Hong Kong's Wan Chai neighborhood, the Blue House is a 1920s tenement that lies at the heart of a cluster of historic buildings.

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Story time – The building hosts the Hong Kong House of Stories, an eclectic museum and community center dedicated to the local community that offers tours of historic sites in the area.

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Locals hangout – Locals congregate in the living room-esque House of Stories.

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Maria Kwok – Maria Kwok, a volunteer tour guide who has lived in the neighborhood for almost 30 years, points out old Chinese characters on a wall of the Blue House.

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Highrises threaten individuality – The Blue House, which has architecturally significant balconies, is just a few blocks from fancy new highrises that have sprung up in Hong Kong over the last two decades.

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Amid development, incense – Pak Tai Temple, a Taoist temple built in 1863, provides an uplifting burst of incense-scented calm in the city.

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Taoist retreat – Small statues line the walls at Pak Tai Temple.

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Old post – The first Wan Chai post office, built in 1915, is now a government office.

Sidewalk chat – Locals congregate on the sidewalk outside the Blue House for dinner and beers.

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Story highlights

The Blue House, a Chinese tenement from the 1920s, is at the heart of a cluster of historic buildings

Local residents lead tours of historic sites

Preservationists worry about the impact of gentrification on the neighborhood's character

A renovation of the Blue House is preserving the local community by letting residents stay in their homes

In a city that changes as fast as the weather, it can be easy to overlook Hong Kong's past.

But on a winding street in Wan Chai, one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, a house painted brilliant blue stands out.

The "Blue House," a Chinese tenement building from the 1920s, is at the heart of a cluster of historic buildings that paint a picture of old Hong Kong.

Home to the Hong Kong House of Stories, an eclectic museum and community center that offers tours of historic sites in the area, the building provides an important glimpse into the neighborhood's rich history.

A block away, 50-story highrises loom and preservationists worry about the impact of gentrification on the neighborhood's character.

"We want local people to tell local stories," says Maria Kwok, a volunteer tour guide who has lived in Wan Chai for almost three decades.

"If you come back in a few years, this neighborhood may have completely changed."

The Blue House itself, which packed working class families into tiny rooms after it was built in the 1920s, is the first stop on the heritage tour.

Tenement houses like these were once common in the neighborhood and the city.

Now, along with two other tenements next door, the Blue House is one of the few remaining.

Upstairs, the Blue House is in the middle of a government-supported renovation to preserve its architecture and improve living conditions for residents, some of whom lack air conditioning and even toilets in their century-old flats.

While there are other historic renovation projects underway around the city, the Blue House effort is unique in that original residents will stay in their homes, says Mirana Szeto, a Hong Kong University professor who consulted on the project.

"We're not preserving an old house and its original culture, we're preserving a living community," Szeto says.

Renovation plans were drawn up in consultation with locals.

After construction is complete in 2017, the House of Stories will be joined by two new restaurants in the Blue House.

Until then, there are plenty of good dining options in the surrounding blocks.

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The Pawn, a restaurant and bar housed in an 1888 pawn shop building, has an outside terrace and roof seating. (The Pawn is currently closed for renovation, but scheduled to reopen in October with a menu from British celebrity chef Tom Aikens.)

Tai Lung Fung, a bar that opened three years ago in a former car repair shop across the street from the Blue House, has a long list of cocktails and excellent shrimp paste chicken wings (HK$55/$7).

Its neon-lit vibe is straight out of '70s Hong Kong TV dramas, and its walls are adorned with classic movie posters.

"Old things are being destroyed," says Sam Leung, the bar's owner. "I wanted to protect and keep the memory."